Seth Porges

July 29, 2009

The opportunity to cover pinball in depth is just one reason this guy from DIY heaven (aka “Popular Mechanics”) loves magazines

Photo Credit: Diana Levine

You’re on TV a lot. How did you get going as a guest star? When I was at a previous job, I had done a lot of work helping out with other editors who were going on TV—calling in products that they were going to show off, writing up talking points, communicating with producers. So I really got a sense of how the whole editor-on-TV business went, what sorts of segments and products worked and how to present it all on TV. Meanwhile, I was also doing a lot of radio interviews—all of the mag's editors did them—and this allowed me to learn to speak "broadcast.” That is, to answer off-the-cuff questions without saying "Uh" or "You know", which most people naturally do. Later, as a freelance writer, I started doing the occasional TV spot, where all these skills came in handy. Then, when I started working at Pop Mechanics, our amazing publicists booked me on a few spots. They went well, and more and more TV producers began having me on more and more often. As I became more confident, I began pitching more segment ideas to my publicists, who pass them on to producers. It's a huge thrill to see something pop up on TV that you came up with yourself.

You were an ASME intern, so you must have been interested in magazines for awhile. What’s your background? I've been working at publications since I was 13 years old. Just about every job I've ever had—from high school on—has been at a magazine or newspaper. When I was in middle school and high school in Washington, D.C., I worked for a local youth-oriented newspaper called Young D.C. Later, I worked for my high school newspaper and any and all local pubs that would allow me to contribute anything, from neighborhood freebie papers on up to national mags.

How did you get to Popular Mechanics? The old-fashioned way: I saw a job listing and I applied for it. Unfortunately, this straightforward path is becoming increasingly rare these days. At first, it was a temporary job, but I was fortunate enough to have it extended into a permanent gig. I feel like it's been a great fit. I'd been writing about technology for years, and I come from a very science-y family. I'm actually the only member of my family that's not a neuroscientist, so I grew up speaking geek.

Did you read Popular Mechanics growing up? What’s the typical reader like these days? Actually, I think my brother read it more than I did. It was definitely lying round the house when I was growing up. Most of our readers are men, but a lot of women who pick up the magazine find themselves surprised at how much they enjoy it. We get letters all the time from women who say things like "I never expected to like Popular Mechanics, but I picked up my husband's issue for the first time and found myself reading it cover to cover." Our readers are pretty much anybody with an interest in making things themselves or understanding how things work. Our readers are people who like to go, "Gee whiz!" at something cool or awe-inspiring. And a lot of our readers grew up with the magazine. That's really powerful–they've been with the magazine longer than I have!  

A lot of people think still think of Popular Mechanics as a magazine for do-it-yourself-ers—the kind of people who build rockets in their backyard. Have you ever built anything? You know, some of our editors are really some of the most amazing DIYers alive. Real MacGyver types who could make you a jet engine with a few paper clips and a rubber band. One of our auto editors was on the show Monster Garage a few years back, and our home-improvement editors could literally build a house from scratch. More recently, our other tech editor built a massive see-through desk with a computer built right into it. It was very sci-fi looking. Some of our readers have sent us some amazing projects they've done as well. We have an annual series of awards we give out called the Backyard Genius Awards, which gives us a chance to show off some of the most amazing reader-made inventions. Total "Don't Try This at Home"-type stuff that people, fortunately, did at home. My personal tinkering is on a much smaller scale. I just made something that is pretty awesome, but I can't talk about it just yet because the story hasn't run yet. But give me a year and I'll be making jet-powered go-karts. 

What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever gotten to test? The ones that really stick out are the wacky and the weird ones. I just tested these beach sandals with a metal detector built right into the sole. It may not be the most useful thing out there, but it made us laugh. 

What do you think--iPhone 3GS or the Palm Pre? It's not a one-size-fits-all proposition. The Palm Pre is a great phone, but getting a decent stock of compelling applications is half the battle these days, and Palm has a lot of catching up to do on that front.

What other magazines do you read? I read just about all the men’s and tech magazines. Partly to see what the other guys are doing, but also because I love reading them. The top men’s magazines undoubtedly have some of the absolute best front-of-book and feature-well content out there. Fellow Hearst mag Esquire is a perennial favorite that seems to be having a lot of fun trying new things and the new Food Network Magazine is bliss. Best new magazine launch of the year, by far. 

You’re also on the ASME Next board. What are you and your fellow board members trying to get done? The magazine business can be really intimidating to a lot of people just starting out. We're hoping to demystify the whole thing and provide some great programming in the process, such as panel discussions with top editors and the chance to meet other junior staffers who are going through the same thing at the same time. I hope that it allows people to feel that, even if they're at a junior level, that they are a part of the business and not just outsiders looking in.

Any parting words of advice for people trying to break into the business now? A lot of magazines are facing unfortunate cutbacks these days. If you're an intern or junior staffer, find out what departments have been hit the hardest and offer to help pick up some of their slack. Everybody will appreciate it.

And take whatever it is you are passionate about, no matter how off-base it may seem, and try to find an angle that could make it a story for your magazine. For some bizarre reason, I am fascinated with pinball and have found excuses to write about the topic for a half-dozen magazines over the past few years. This includes ones you'd never think would have any reason to ever print anything about pinball. If I can do it with pinball, you can do it with whatever it is you are interested in.